Jul 28, 2010

A piece of TS Eliot's 'Ash Wednesday'. This may be cliched for anyone into poetry, but I don't mind. I'd like to write more, including poetry, myself; but I have little time a.t.m. and can't beat this in any case.

If the lost word is lost, if the spent word is spentIf the unheard, unspoken Word is unspoken, unheard;Still is the unspoken word, the Word unheard,The Word without a word, the Word withinThe world and for the world;And the light shone in darkness andAgainst the Word the unstilled world still whirledAbout the centre of the silent Word.

O my people, what have I done unto thee.

Where shall the word be found, where will the wordResound? Not here, there is not enough silenceNot on the sea or on the islands, notOn the mainland, in the desert or the rain land,For those who walk in darknessBoth in the day time and in the night timeThe right time and the right place are not hereNo place of grace for those who avoid the faceNo time to rejoice for those who walk among noise and deny the voice

Jul 24, 2010

You may have heard the word on the street - the police dog 'Gage' is gone.

He was killed in the line of duty. Loads of money has poured in after the media's focus on him, I'm not sure for what purpose precisely but it's probably something charitable concerning dogs. In the news today (TV3 perhaps), there was a short story about an artist who's painted a picture of Gage to give to his owner or handler. The comment was made that Gage, in giving his life, paid the ultimate sacrifice, or something like this.

Interestingly, the words paralleled quite closely this verse:"No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Dogs are cool, I used to want to have one even. But it concerned me that the suffering of thousands of people every day is deemed less important by some than the death of a dog. Is this a gauge of where our society is at? It'd almost be laughable if it were not so true. Even more so, however, the way the artist talked about this canine companion reminded me of a companion of mine named Jesus. The brief suffering of a dog is an example of the evil throughout this world, but it also points me to the suffering of the God who made the world, taken upon the incarnate Word's self to make the world right. It may seem that evil is rampant, but I can tell you that it is being dealt with and it has been dealt with - for someone with the right credentials has paid the ultimate price for His friends.

Jul 18, 2010

Jul 14, 2010

I'm in the fortunate position of owning books. I'd like to lend them to you, perhaps for a tiny fee if they're expensive. If I know you or have reason to trust you. For the most part, you won't find them in your local library - unless whoever owns the library is awesome, that is.

Here are some I think are quite exciting which are on my shelf or there soon:You'll see they're biased towards apologetics, science and philosophy - it's what I do.

The Reason for God - Tim Kellera classic case for God and Christian orthodoxy - I have quibbles of course, but it is well-read and philosophically astute.The Loser Letters - Mary Eberstadta little bit of sarcasm never hurt anyone - let's see if the New Atheists agree. Am looking fwd to this arriving.Justice - Nicholas Wolterstorffa Christian perspective on Justice from a philosophical theologian at Yale. Repays careful reading.Embryo - A defense of human life - RP George & Chris Tollefsenan intro to bioethical issues around abortion and embryo research. Useful in engaging with some biological details.To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity Today - James Davison Hunteram eagerly waiting for this collection of essays on Christianity's place in culture to arriveThe End of Christianity - William Dembski'the Fall' - how can we make sense of it in light of an old earth? Dembski advocates a retro-active event.God's Undertaker - John C LennoxScience and God - a good intro not afraid to deal with scientific facts, stats and philosophyThe Signature in the Cell - Stephen C Meyera new summary of the case for Intelligent Design from DNA and the origin of life

Contending with Christianity's critics - William Lane Craig & Paul Copan (eds)collection of pretty good essays. That was an understatement - some of them at least are 'spot on'.

Jul 11, 2010

Loftus [an active internet skeptic - A.Z.] attributes religious belief to sociological conditioning. The elephant in the room is the culture of disbelief that is perpetuated, not by argumentation, but by intellectual intimidation and bullying, which anybody can find at most secular institutions of higher learning. I'm talking about the sort of "nobody believes that anymore" chronological snobbery that makes you feel as if some overwhelming argument was given on the day you were absent. It's the sort of attitude that makes an adolescent feel like a truly independent thinker because he has learned to be critical of his parents' attitudes and has adopted, instead, the attitudes of his peers. The idea that becoming a religious skeptic means transcending sociological pressures strikes me as ludicrous.

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Welcome.

Welcome, that is, to a place where science is taken seriously, philosophy is dabbled in, economics is sometimes gestured at for the sake of technical completeness; and where God is in control, though sometimes we just don't get it (as surprising as that may seem if you're a rationalist). Where biblical texts are read carefully, the meaning of life is pondered and cliches fall in bunches, like grapes (falling grapes). Where humility, hard work, hospitality and healthy eating are all frequently preached and occasionally practiced.

Hey! If you're reading this you officially have too much time - or you're procrastinating something dreadful. In either case, I suggest you go and read the gospel of Mark! Why not, after all? If you're addicted to the nets, as we're in the 21stC you can even do so online. Or here. Cheers.